A fundamentalist Muslim group in Lebanon claimed Friday that it is holding a U.S. Marine Corps officer hostage and accompanied its claim with photocopies of two identity cards, each bearing photos and signatures said to be those of the hostage. A U.N. spokesman said that the documents appear to be copies of genuine identity cards held by Lt. Col. William R. Higgins, 43, of Danville, Ky., who was kidnaped Wednesday while driving in a U.N. convoy near Tyre, Lebanon's southernmost city.

A fundamentalist Muslim group in Lebanon claimed Friday that it is holding a U.S. Marine Corps officer hostage and accompanied its claim with photocopies of two identity cards, each bearing photos and signatures said to be those of the hostage. A U.N. spokesman said that the documents appear to be copies of genuine identity cards held by Lt. Col. William R. Higgins, 43, of Danville, Ky., who was kidnaped Wednesday while driving in a U.N. convoy near Tyre, Lebanon's southernmost city.